Crisis Intervention Issues Essay Example for Free

Crisis Intervention Issues Essay Counselors and other individuals in the helping profession play an important role in times of individual crisis such as violent crimes or mass crisis such as large-scale disaster situations by facilitating the diagnosis and treatment of pyschosocial disorders among populations that have been directly or indirectly traumatized by critical events. Gladding (2008, p. 246) notes that crisis counselling often involves incidents where there is a sense of loss or grief, and is therefore aimed at helping clients to regain a sense of normalcy in order to move on with their lives. However, there are instances when counselors are adversely affected by their work with traumatized clients. Sexton (1999, p. 393) notes that counselors and therapists who are constantly exposed to â€Å"reports of trauma, horror, human cruelty, and extreme loss† become vulnerable to experiencing the â€Å"feelings of fear, pain and suffering similar to their clients† that ultimately affects their ability to provide counselling services. Among the issues that counselors face in the course of their crisis intervention efforts is the risk of countertransference and vicarious traumatization. Countertransference refers to the counselors’ tendency to either avoid empathy or to overly identify with the client as a form of defense mechanim. Avoidance reactions are often manifested through the counselor’s â€Å"denial, minimisation, distortion, counter phobic reactions, detachment and disengagement from an emphatic stance† (Ibid, p. 394). In contrast, over-identification often leads into the overinvolvement of the counselor with the client’s experiences to the point that the counselor may feel idealize the client’s experiences and feel guilt for not being able to extend more help to the client (Ibid). Consequently, countertransference often impedes the therapeutic relationship as the counselor’s fails to feel empathy for the client. Empathy is particularly important in crisis intervention as it enables the counselor to correctly assess the client situation and support the client with definitive action plans for recovery (Gladding 2008, p. 248). Without empathy, client welfare is compromised by the inability of the counselor to identify the client’s problems from the client’s perspective, which could lead to incorrect or inadequate support and action from the counselor. Meanwhile, vicarious traumatization among counselors occurs as a result of the â€Å"accumulation of experiences across many therapy situations† (Sexton 1999, p. 395). Vicarious traumatization not only impacts the counselor’s helping relationships but also extends to other areas of his or her professional and personal life. The effects of vicarious traumatization include the development of anxiety and post-traumatic syndrome disorder (PTSD) symptoms and other psychosocial disorders by the counselor. Unfortunately, majority of counselors are vulnerable to the risk of vicarious traumatization (Ibid, p. 396). Hence, those who work in the midst of large-scale crises events are clearly at a greater risk due to the scale of horror, loss, and cruelty that they are exposed to through indirect and direct experiences of their clients and themselves. Hence, the vicarious traumatization of counselors not only hinders them from functioning effectively in helping relationships but renders them unable to continue their relationships with clients as they become individuals in need of therapy and counselling themselves. On the other hand, there are ways of reducing the risks of countertransference and vicarious traumatization. Sexton (1999, p. 396) note that counselors must engage in constant self-examination for the symptoms of crisis intervention issues in order to identify and resolve problems early by themselves or with the help of other counselling professionals. This ensures the counsellor’s assurance of his/her own psychosocial health which is important in safeguarding client well-being and interests. Thus, it is important for counselors and other helping professionals to be aware of the proper handling of crisis intervention issues they may confront while in the process of helping others recover and rebuild their lives after a traumatic incident. Works Cited: Gladding, S. T. (2008). Counselling: a comprehensive profession. New Jersey: Merrill-Prentice Hall/Pearson. Sexton, L. (1999). Vicarious traumatisation of counsellors and effects on their workplaces. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 27(3):393-403.

The Culture of Cola: Social and Economic Aspects of a West African Domesticate :: Botany

The Culture of Cola: Social and Economic Aspects of a West African Domesticate The area of study known as "economic botany" is a wide-ranging one, but is most often concerned with the relationship between humans and the plants they utilize for food and medicine and raw materials for shelter, tools and other material needs. Less often mentioned, although not entirely neglected, are those plants that may be seen primarily as being of less obvious and direct material benefit to the people who use them. The nut of the cola tree provides an example of such a plant product, one of limited nutritional or material use, but being of very great social importance. Among the various cultures using it, the cola nut plays important cultural roles in virtually every aspect of life, from birth to death. The cola tree belongs to the Sterculiaceae family and is indigenous to West Africa, especially the nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, but is found eastward to Gabon and the Congo River Basin. The genus Cola is comprised of about forty species, but the most commonly used are Cola verticillata, C. anomala and C. nitida, with the latter two being of the greatest economic importance (Lovejoy, 1980). Cola is related to the cacao tree, but is taller (up to 30-40 feet), and has smooth bark with longitudinal cracks and dense foliage with large, leathery oblongate leaves alternate on large petioles. It has small cup-shaped flowers borne in clusters on short pedicels in the leaf axils. Both male and hermaphroditic flowers are found, although the latter are functionally female since the anthers are not pollen-shedding. The fruits are borne on young branches and form a star-shaped cluster of pods, usually numbering five, with each follicle bearing 4-10 chestnut-sized seed s. C. nitida is dicotyledonous, while C. acuminata has more than two cotyledons, and may have six or more (McIlroy, 1963). Traditionally, the nut is used as a masticatory in a manner similar to that of betel-nut. Its popularity is due to the large amounts of caffeine and smaller amounts of theobromine, kolatin and glucose it contains, all of which act as stimulants and may be mildly addictive (Lovejoy, 1980). Its stimulant effect also makes it useful as an appetite suppressant, and it was often used as "iron rations" for armies on the march, allowing large distances to be traveled while carrying a minimum of food (Sundstrom, 1966).

The Pardoner’s Tale

In Flanders once there was a company Of youngsters haunting vice and ribaldry, Riot and gambling, stews and public-houses Where each with harp, guitar, or lute carouses, Dancing and dicing day and night, and bold To eat and drink far more than they can hold, Doing thereby the devil sacrifice Within that devil’s temple of cursed vice, Abominable in superfluity, With oaths so damnable in blasphemy That it’s a grisly thing to hear them swear. Our dear Lord’s body they will rend and tear. . . . It’s of three rioters I have to tell Who, long before the morning service bell, Were sitting in a tavern for a drink. And as they sat, they heard the hand-bell clink Before a coffin going to the grave; One of them called the little tavern-knave And said â€Å"Go and find out at once—look spry! — Whose corpse is in that coffin passing by; And see you get the name correctly too. † â€Å"Sir,† said the boy, â€Å"no need, I promise you; Two hours before you came here I was told. He was a friend of yours in days of old, And suddenly, last night, the man was slain, Upon his bench, face up, dead drunk again. There came a privy thief, they call him Death, Who kills us all round here, and in a breath He speared him through the heart, he never stirred. And then Death went his way without a word. He’s killed a thousand in the present plague, And, sir, it doesn’t do to be too vague If you should meet him; you had best be wary. Be on your guard with such an adversary, Be primed to meet him everywhere you go, That’s what my mother said. It’s all I know. † The publican joined in with, â€Å"By St. Mary, What the child says is right; you’d best be wary, This very year he killed, in a large village A mile away, man, woman, serf at tillage, Page in the household, children—all there were. Yes, I imagine that he lives round there. It’s well to be prepared in these alarms, He might do you dishonor. † â€Å"Huh, God’s arms! † The rioter said, â€Å"Is he so fierce to meet? I’ll search for him, by Jesus, street by street. God’s blessed bones! I’ll register a vow! Here, chaps! The three of us together now, Hold up your hands, like me, and we’ll be brothers In this affair, and each defend the others, And we will kill this traitor Death, I say! Away with him as he has made away With all our friends. God’s dignity! Tonight! † They made their bargain, swore with appetite, These three, to live and die for one another As brother-born might swear to his born brother. And up they started in their drunken rage And made towards this village which the page And publican had spoken of before. Many and grisly were the oaths they swore, Tearing Christ’s blessed body to a shred; â€Å"If we can only catch him, Death is dead! † When they had gone not fully half a mile, Just as they were about to cross a stile, They came upon a very poor old man Who humbly greeted them and thus began, â€Å"God look to you, my lords, and give you quiet! † To which the proudest of these men of riot Gave back the answer, â€Å"What, old fool? Give place! Why are you all wrapped up except your face? Why live so long? Isn’t it time to die? † The old, old fellow looked him in the eye And said, â€Å"Because I never yet have found, Though I have walked to India, searching round Village and city on my pilgrimage, One who would change his youth to have my age. And so my age is mine and must be still Upon me, for such time as God may will. â€Å"Not even Death, alas, will take my life; So, like a wretched prisoner at strife Within himself, I walk alone and wait About the earth, which is my mother’s gate, Knock-knocking with my staff from night to noon And crying, ‘Mother, open to me soon! Look at me, mother, won’t you let me in? See how I wither, flesh and blood and skin! Alas! When will these bones be laid to rest? Mother, I would exchange—for that were best— The wardrobe in my chamber, standing there So long, for yours! Aye, for a shirt of hair To wrap me in! ’ She has refused her grace, Whence comes the pallor of my withered face. â€Å"But it dishonored you when you began To speak so roughly, sir, to an old man, Unless he had injured you in word or deed. It says in holy writ, as you may read, ‘Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head And honor it. ’ And therefore be it said, ‘Do no more harm to an old man than you, Being now young, would have another do When you are old’—if you should live till then. And so may God be with you, gentlemen, For I must go whither I have to go. † â€Å"By God,† the gambler said, â€Å"you shan’t do so, You don’t get off so easy, by St. John! I heard you mention, just a moment gone, A certain traitor Death who singles out And kills the fine young fellows hereabout. And you’re his spy, by God! You wait a bit. Say where he is or you shall pay for it, By God and by the Holy Sacrament! I say you’ve joined together by consent To kill us younger folk, you thieving swine! † â€Å"Well, sirs,† he said, â€Å"if it be your design To find out Death, turn up this crooked way Towards that grove, I left him there today Under a tree, and there you’ll find him waiting. He isn’t one to hide for all your prating. You see that oak? He won’t be far to find. And God protect you that redeemed mankind, Aye, and amend you! † Thus that ancient man. At once the three young rioters began To run, and reached the tree, and there they found A pile of golden florins on the ground, New-coined, eight bushels of them as they thought. No longer was it Death those fellows sought, For they were all so thrilled to see the sight, The florins were so beautiful and bright, That down they sat beside the precious pile. The wickedest spoke first after a while. â€Å"Brothers,† he said, â€Å"you listen to what I say. I’m pretty sharp although I joke away. It’s clear that Fortune has bestowed this treasure To let us live in jollity and pleasure. Light come, light go! We’ll spend it as we ought. God’s precious dignity! Who would have thought This morning was to be our lucky day? â€Å"If one could only get the gold away, Back to my house, or else to yours, perhaps— For as you know, the gold is ours, chaps— We’d all be at the top of fortune, hey? But certainly it can’t be done by day. People would call us robbers—a strong gang, So our own property would make us hang. No, we must bring this treasure back by night Some prudent way, and keep it out of sight. And so as a solution I propose We draw for lots and see the way it goes; The one who draws the longest, lucky man, Shall run to town as quickly as he can To fetch us bread and wine—but keep things dark— While two remain in hiding here to mark Our heap of treasure. If there’s no delay, When night comes down we’ll carry it away, All three of us, wherever we have planned. † He gathered lots and hid them in his hand Bidding them draw for where the luck should fall. It fell upon the youngest of them all, And off he ran at once towards the town. As soon as he had gone the first sat down And thus began a parley with the other: â€Å"You know that you can trust me as a brother; Now let me tell you where your profit lies; You know our friend has gone to get supplies And here’s a lot of gold that is to be Divided equally among us three. Nevertheless, if I could shape things thus So that we shared it out—the two of us— Wouldn’t you take it as a friendly act? † â€Å"But how? † the other said. â€Å"He knows the fact That all the gold was left with me and you; What can we tell him? What are we to do? † â€Å"Is it a bargain,† said the first, â€Å"or no? For I can tell you in a word or so What’s to be done to bring the thing about. â€Å"Trust me,† the other said, â€Å"you needn’t doubt My word. I won’t betray you, I’ll be true. † â€Å"Well,† said his friend, â€Å"you see that we are two, And two are twice as powerful as one. Now look; when he comes back, get up i n fun To have a wrestle; then, as you attack, I’ll up and put my dagger through his back While you and he are struggling, as in game; Then draw your dagger too and do the same. Then all this money will be ours to spend, Divided equally of course, dear friend. Then we can gratify our lusts and fill The day with dicing at our own sweet will. † Thus these two miscreants agreed to slay The third and youngest, as you heard me say. The youngest, as he ran towards the town, Kept turning over, rolling up and down Within his heart the beauty of those bright New florins, saying, â€Å"Lord, to think I might Have all that treasure to myself alone! Could there be anyone beneath the throne Of God so happy as I then should be? † And so the Fiend, our common enemy, Was given power to put it in his thought That there was always poison to be bought, And that with poison he could kill his friends. To men in such a state the Devil sends Thoughts of this kind, and has a full permission To lure them on to sorrow and perdition; For this young man was utterly content To kill them both and never to repent. And on he ran, he had no thought to tarry, Came to the town, found an apothecary And said, â€Å"Sell me some poison if you will, I have a lot of rats I want to kill And there’s a polecat too about my yard That takes my chickens and it hits me hard; But I’ll get even, as is only right, With vermin that destroy a man by night. † The chemist answered, â€Å"I’ve a preparation Which you shall have, and by my soul’s salvation If any living creature eat or drink A mouthful, ere he has the time to think, Though he took less than makes a grain of wheat, You’ll see him fall down dying at your feet; Yes, die he must, and in so short a while You’d hardly have the time to walk a mile, The poison is so strong, you understand. † This cursed fellow grabbed into his hand The box of poison and away he ran Into a neighboring street, and found a man Who lent him three large bottles. He withdrew And deftly poured the poison into two. He kept the third one clean, as well he might, For his own drink, meaning to work all night Stacking the gold and carrying it away. And when this rioter, this devil’s clay, Had filled his bottles up with wine, all three, Back to rejoin his comrades sauntered he. Why make a sermon of it? Why waste breath? Exactly in the way they’d planned his death They fell on him and slew him, two to one. Then said the first of them when this was done, â€Å"Now for a drink. Sit down and let’s be merry, For later on there’ll be the corpse to bury. † And, as it happened, reaching for a sup, He took a bottle full of poison up And drank; and his companion, nothing loth, Drank from it also, and they perished both. There is, in Avicenna’s long relation Concerning poison and its operation, Trust me, no ghastlier section to transcend What these two wretches suffered at their end. Thus these two murderers received their due, So did the treacherous young poisoner too. . . . â€Å"One thing I should have mentioned in my tale, Dear people. I’ve some relics in my bale And pardons too, as full and fine, I hope, As any in England, given me by the Pope. If there be one among you that is willing To have my absolution for a shilling Devoutly given, come! and do not harden Your hearts but kneel in humbleness for pardon; Or else, receive my pardon as we go. You can renew it every town or so Always provided that you still renew Each time, and in good money, what is due. It is an honor to you to have found A pardoner with his credentials sound Who can absolve you as you ply the spur In any accident that may occur. For instance—we are all at Fortune’s beck— Your horse may throw you down and break your neck. What a security it is to all To have me here among you and at call With pardon for the lowly and the great When soul leaves body for the future state! And I advise our Host here to begin, The most enveloped of you all in sin. Come forward, Host, you shall be the first to pay, And kiss my holy relics right away. Only a groat. Come on, unbuckle your purse! † â€Å"No, no,† said he, â€Å"not I, and may the curse Of Christ descend upon me if I do! . . .† The Pardoner said nothing, not a word; He was so angry that he couldn’t speak. â€Å"Well,† said our Host, â€Å"if you’re for showing pique,   I’ll joke no more, not with an angry man. † The worthy Knight immediately began, Seeing the fun was getting rather rough, And said, â€Å"No more, we’ve all had quite enough. Now, Master Pardoner, perk up, look cheerly! And you, Sir Host, whom I esteem so dearly, I beg of you to kiss the Pardoner. â€Å"Come, Pardoner, draw nearer, my dear sir. Let’s laugh again and keep the ball in play. † They kissed, and we continued on our way. s

How to Create a Mad Scientist Costume

A mad scientist costume is great for Halloween, inspiring images of how science can run amock, creating horrific monstrosities. Here are tips on how to create a great mad scientist costume: Hair ... or not The decision on what sort of hair to have is an important one. You can go with wild hair (such as Albert Einstein and Doc Brown from the Back to the Future movies) or bald, the Lex Luthor route. If going for wild hair, there are inexpensive wigs available in most costume shops. Alternately, you can create your own with a bald cap by gluing fabric hair (from local fabric or craft stores) onto it - perhaps different colored hair. Or, if your hair is long enough, you can use styling gel and unusual hair colorings to get the desired effect. A bald cap (especially nice for female mad scientists) will also do. To really complete the look, you may want to use some fake skin to cover up your eyebrows. This will create an effect that youve lost all your hair due to the bizarre potions youve tested on yourself. A middle approach between the two is to glue chunks of fabric hair onto the bald cap, so that it looks like your hair is falling out in chunks. Again, using hair with strange colors might be useful. Other Headgear Some sort of eyewear is generally a good idea. Find an old pair of glasses with bulky frames, perhaps from a thrift store, and pop out the lenses. You might want to decorate them by gluing or taping object to them, like bottlecaps, beads, etc. Tape (duct tape) or Band-Aids can be used to make the glasses look like theyve been broken and mended. Goggles are also a nice alternative. A goattee is a nice addition for a mad scientist. If you cant or dont want to grow your own, you can glue some fur into your chin. Try to frame it into a sharp point, perhaps using a bent paperclip or piece of cardboard as a frame to mount it on. Lab Coat The lab coat is, of course, the crucial element of the mad scientist costume. This is what translates the costume from random weirdo to mad scientist. Around Halloween, lab coats are pretty easy to find anywhere costumes are sold. You can also get actual lab coats at medical supply stores, thrift stores, and the like. If you have trouble finding one, you can contact your local hospital to find out where they are sold locally. Personally, the best lab coat Ive ever seen is the Mad Scientists Union Local #3.14. I didnt buy it online, so I cant attest to this vendor, but the lab coat is very cool. You can also decorate the labcoat with pins, stickers, stencils, decals, rips, scorch marks, food spills, equations, and the like ... whatever you feel comfortable with based on the cost of the lab coat. Pants - The Easy Part Generally, dark pants or a dark skirt will work to finish the outfit. A goofy pair of shoes, such as bowling shoes, would do well to complete the outfit. Final Accessories A pocket protector (try office supply stores) is a perfect addition to the costume. Fill it up with as many pens and pencils as you can. Throw in a compass, ruler, spiral notepad, and calculator if you can. Heck, carry around an abacus if you can find one. Another nice accessory would be a beaker filled with strange-colored liquid. Exotic colors of punch (i.e. Kool-Aid) can create this. Add some dry ice so smoke will drift off of it. Note: If you do have a potion with dry ice in it, do not drink. A flourescent stick, like what you get at the circus, can be inserted to make it glow ... and is great for stirring up your concoction. Some Last Comments The unbridled wackiness is the best part of the mad scientist costume. Be funny and nuts, and youll pull it off. Anything you can think of to add to the costumes eccentricity is a plus. Try to go as cheap as you can, since you may want to make a real mess of the costume to create the right mood. Old pants, tattered lab coats, funny shoes, out of style glasses ... thrift stores are the perfect place to get components for the mad scientist costume. Mad Scientist Sidekick Costumes Robot costumeBride of Frankenstein costumeCousin It costumeFrank-Einstein costumeGeeky Science Nerd costumeGhostbuster costume